New Method Unlocks Uranium from Seawater, But Commercial Viability Likely Decades Away

Australian researchers have made an important breakthrough in developing methods to selectively extract uranium from seawater. By doping layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with neodymium, the team was able to create a material that preferentially binds uranium dissolved in seawater, even amidst high concentrations of other metals.

This discovery represents significant progress toward economical seawater uranium extraction. The oceans hold enormous uranium reserves, estimated at 4.5 billion tonnes globally. That dwarfs conventional land deposits of just 6 million tonnes. Tapping into seawater uranium could offer virtually limitless fuel for nuclear power, providing energy security as terrestrial supplies diminish.

However, major challenges remain before seawater extraction becomes commercially viable. Current methods are prohibitively expensive, with binding materials that lack selectivity. It takes about 150 days to extract 1 kg of yellowcake from seawater using today's adsorbents. The new LDH material marks important progress, but likely remains far from the efficiency and costs needed for competitive mining.

For investors, this research is an early step in a long process. Real-world engineering of practical extraction materials, processes, and systems will require much additional development. While alluring, extraction is likely decades away from being economical on a large scale. The uranium market will remain dependent on traditional mining for the foreseeable future.

Nonetheless, seawater uranium has disruptive potential if costs can be reduced substantially. Investors should monitor progress in this field, but view it as a long-term option rather than a near-term inflection point. Major advances may come, but economical seawater extraction still appears relatively distant.